Sam Harris.org Reader Forum1970-01-01T00:00:00ZCopyright (c) 2017ExpressionEnginetag:https:,2017:09:26It’s all physics…....tag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.703042017-09-23T08:08:28Z1970-01-01T00:00:00ZA fat Bastard
It seems to me this is something even very smart people can’t grasp. Everybody I talk, no matter how expert they are in a field, they stop at the field. They don’t see that it is physics under that.

Especially when it comes to biology. Doctors don’t seem to understand this.

Even psychologist. They all explain things with magic. It just happens. Take my word for it. Etc.

It’s allways physics.

That’s why I think the best approach to understand biology is by a physicist, like that guy, can’t remember his name, some 10 podcasts away. That was exciting. Bring him back and go deeper.

So. Is it all physics? Or is something free of physics? And therefore free of the laws of nature. Wich is necessary for free will to exist. Also for the soul to travel after we die. It requires magic.

Isn’t a phenomenon that breaks the laws of nature magic?

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Quantum and Normal Realitytag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.702642017-09-11T18:38:59Z1970-01-01T00:00:00Zunsmoked
I was saying in another topic that the human brain didn’t evolve to apprehend quantum reality. That doesn’t mean, however, that I think we don’t suspect that something inexplicable is going on at the molecular, atomic, or particle/energy level. From what I’ve read by anthropologists, it seems likely that since Day One primitive people gave life, (or spirit), to rocks, trees, rivers, lakes and forests.

Then again, a thousand years ago Zen master Yuansou said, “The mountains, rivers, earth, grasses, trees, and forests, [ordinary reality?], are always emanating a subtle, precious light, day and night, always emanating a subtle, precious sound, demonstrating and expounding to all people the unsurpassed ultimate truth.”

Now scientists tell us that matter, our bodies for example, are composed of atoms, and that within each atom there is mostly empty space (99.9% empty space?), and that within each atom particles are moving at near the speed of light etc.

Even at the level of understanding we did evolve with, when in human history did it dawn on people that two microscopic cells, each consisting of billions or trillions of atoms - mostly empty space - could join together and grow into a new human being?

Is it any wonder that so many made-up stories have been written to try and explain what’s going on? Any wonder that supernatural explanations are so easy to foist on children?

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Fixing Houstontag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.702472017-09-05T00:39:22Z1970-01-01T00:00:00ZEN
There is no engineering thread, so I put this here. Houston needs to be fixed, so that this never happens again. Houston, you have a problem. Here is my proposal:

1. Make Houston the Amsterdam of the South. The Dutch have dealt with water for centuries. Hire them to fix Houston like they fixed Amsterdam over the years.

2. There would be a system of canals around and across the city, with levees, locks and pumps, all redirecting the water. You could basically take a map of Amsterdam and enlarge and superimpose it upon Houston and make it work.

3. It would take lots of money, about the same amount that The Wall would take, so use that money to actually fix a problem instead of wasting it on a wall.

4. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Think of the economic boost this would give, and the jobs it would create. Then, you never have to fix it again.

5. I, of course, would get the gondola franchise, and turn Houston into the most romantic city since Venice.

“This gripping survey of prehistory’s extinction events (the death of the dinosaurs was only the most recent) is motivated by the fear that we are on the brink of another such cataclysm. Brannen excels at evoking lost worlds, from the global coral reefs of the Devonian period to the Pangaean crocodilians of the late Triassic - both of which were, in part, snuffed out by shifting levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the ensuing climate change. Today, the ever-increasing demand for dirty energy threatens not only human civilization but, in the long run, all life on earth. As Brannen demonstrates, fossils are useful for more than just fuel: they can teach us how not to die.”

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Doubt (Sam hinting at the development of a new book?) (Sapolsky Podcast)tag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.701622017-08-18T04:21:26Z1970-01-01T00:00:00ZNikolai Narcisse
If anybody recalls a moment from the podcast episode with Robert Sapolsky, Sam mentions how he has become interested in the neurological implications of doubt and that he has performed several neurological studies wherein he found interesting data regarding doubt. My thoughts immediately crafted another slim volume like “Free Will” or “Letters to a Christian Nation”.

What do we think of this potential idea that I am probably reading too far into? Does anybody have any thoughts on doubt through a neurological lens?

“In their new book, Climate of Hope, Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope provide readers with a wonderful, in-depth analysis of how municipalities, businesses and private citizens are proving to be a bold force in solving the greatest challenge of our time?the climate crisis. This book gives readers the opportunity to benefit from the wisdom of two highly successful individuals who have taken distinct paths to ensuring that their own communities and organizations have a tangible impact in securing our sustainable future. Climate of Hope is an inspiring must-read for anyone who wants to know how their local actions can have positive and significant impacts on the world.” ?Former Vice President Al Gore, Chairman of The Climate Reality Project

“If Trump is looking for a blueprint, he could not do better than to read a smart new book, Climate of Hope.” ?Thomas Friedman in The New York Times

“Meeting our world’s growing energy demands will require contributions from science, business and government. As Climate of Hope shows, Michael Bloomberg has a unique understanding of the importance of this collaborative approach. Michael’s leadership and optimism remind us that by working together, we can develop breakthrough innovations to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of clean energy technology.” ?Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“Climate change threatens to reshape the future of our world’s population centers. Bloomberg and Pope have been leaders on fortifying our cities against this threat, and their book proves that victory is possible?and imperative.” ?Leonardo DiCaprio

“Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope, in their new book, Climate of Hope, make a powerful argument that we need a new conversation to ensure we save the planet from global warming. It is a necessary look at the threat and an urgent call for all of us to act immediately at the local level. They bring knowledge, experience and passion to a subject that demands our attention.” ?Charlie Rose, anchor and executive editor of Charlie Rose, co-anchor of CBS This Morning, and correspondent on 60 Minutes

“A book that glows with the optimism of levelheaded reason. Keenly attuned to political realities, Climate of Hope bypasses the fraught debates over long-term climate change, focusing instead on the immediate consequences of pollution.” ?New York Magazine

“A hopeful book of strategies for delivering the planet from our worst environmental depredations. …a thoughtful, eminently reasonable set of proposals.” ?Kirkus

“Upbeat, pragmatic, eloquent, and supremely well-informed, Bloomberg and Pope present striking statistics, cogently describe diverse examples of energy reforms and innovations across the U.S. and around the world, and make clear on both personal and social levels why a low-carbon future is possible, necessary, and of great benefit to everyone.” ?Booklist (starred)

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Free Falltag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.699452017-06-29T02:08:58Z1970-01-01T00:00:00ZBrick Bungalow
Astronauts in low earth float because their spacecraft and its contents are in free fall. If their spacecraft were to effectively escape the earths gravity and reach interstellar space would their experience change given that they would not be falling toward any particular locus of gravity?
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‘Crop circles’ on the ocean floortag:https:,2017:/www.samharris.org/forum/viewthread8982/viewthread/.699182017-06-22T18:55:45Z2017-06-22T19:07:08Zunsmokedhttps://www.geek.com/culture/watch-puffer-fish-bizarrely-elaborate-mating-habits-in-new-pbs-documentary-1703351/ (scroll down to ‘BIG PACIFIC’ video)

“The comprehensive analysis found that 92% of the world’s population lives in areas where air quality falls below clean-air standards. Air pollution claims roughly 6.5 million lives each year, the report says.”

From another article:

“Rather than accept and develop strategies, policies, and regulations based on science, Trump’s EPA transition team have made claims that the EPA and scientists have lied about the dangers of air pollution. This unsubstantiated belief not just in climate change and the science behind it, but beliefs against the dangers associated with air pollutants to human health are placing in danger the environment and health of the Americans the EPA was created to protect. The 2017 State of Global air report cited air pollution as the 5th leading cause of death globally.” ‘The 5th leading cause of death globally.’